It was the first time that someone had talked to him about such a lofty topic, and the object was only a half-grown child, which made Gu Weijun a little ridiculous, but Zhang Hanqing's words were very reasonable. He had just returned from his post as minister to Mexico, and he also had a general understanding of the current situation in neighboring countries, the United States, whose level of sophistication and industrialization staggered him. Zhang Hanqing's proposal to take the United States as a teacher is quite discerning, but he is so young, has he ever been to the United States?

Gu Weijun inevitably put forward this idea.

Don't stop there! As the only superpower in later generations, Zhang Hanqing has seen enough of the arrogance of the United States, but its strength is also capital: the world's complete categories, most of which are top-level industries, the country with the most railway mileage, exceeds the total military spending of the next ten countries, and has unique geographical conditions... The two successes in benefiting from the world war also fully demonstrated the shrewdness of the Americans.

At that time, the GDP and total industrial output of the United States had surpassed the old empire of Britain and became the world's first, but it was just low-key. Because of the United States' tendency to isolate its national righteousness, its hand on the whole world has not stretched out far, and it has also made a fortune in a muffled voice by adhering to the principle of "open door," and its influence in China has not yet risen.

He looked at Zhang Hanqing, what are people his age doing now? It's time to be playful, right? is as smart as himself, and he was just reading good books in the school back then. Even if the above words were taught by his father, he recounted them in such a coherent manner, which is also commendable.

He asked quietly: "Do you think the United States will intervene in the situation in the northeast?" ”

Zhang Hanqing shook his head: "In an eventful situation, the United States has not yet thought of competing with Japan in the Far East, but it does not mean that it allows Japan to dominate in the Far East. If we let the wind out, we can make the Japanese nervous for a while, and we can also appropriately reduce their diplomatic pressure on us.

One twenty-one, let us shame the whole country, why? The first is that our national strength is indeed too weak, and the second reason is that it is also because the European war has weakened the checks and balances of the great powers against Japan, so it dares to do whatever it wants at this time.

The result of the European war will cause a global reshuffle, which is a mixed blessing for our country. The good thing is that there will be a long period of peace in the future, which is the golden period of our development, and China's success or failure is here; The bad thing is that the original balance in China has been broken, and the great powers have weakened, resulting in Japan's dominance. If we do not take precautions, we will not be able to restrain Japan with our current situation, and it is inevitable that we will suffer political and economic losses.

I think that at this stage, the only Americans who can make the Japanese restrain themselves in Tohoku, and if we want the Americans to come forward, we must make it sweet---- of course, the essence of capital is profit-seeking, and we just make good use of it. When a situation arises between us and them, and I have you, it will depend on the face of the Americans, no matter how often Japan wants to exert pressure as it is now. ”

It was a big surprise to meet Gu Weijun. Europe is in a big war and can't extricate itself, Japan's industrial level is already poor, and the only "benefactor" in his growth plan, the United States, he has no communication channels, and now, the opportunity has come.

Of course, it's too early to talk about it now---- even Zhang Zuolin doesn't have the ability to move the overall situation of the country, he can't even enjoy a Fengtian Province exclusively, doesn't Feng Delin next to him just look at it with fierce eyes?

Seeing Zhang Hanqing's extraordinary conversation, Gu Weijun became interested. He asked tentatively: "Han Qing is very good at studying national affairs, so do you think that in terms of China's attitude towards joining the European war, should we lean toward the United States or Japan?" ”

At this time, the First World War was in full swing, and China was also faced with the question of which side to join, of course, the urgency of this issue was diluted a lot by the old Emperor Yuan. But in the eyes of professionals like Gu Weijun, this is the top priority: to express one's position.

Such a big thing, of course, Zhang Hanqing's words are difficult to have any weight. No matter how much Zhang Hanqing boasts, Gu Weijun will not be bewitched by him, but he just sees that he has extraordinary knowledge, and as a talking point, it is better to talk than nothing.

It is China's national condition to put Japan on a par with the powerful United States. Japan is the most ferocious and ambitious neighbor that invades China, and although it is not very large, it bites and wears out the weak giant China; The United States adheres to the "open door" policy and does not want Japan to be an independent country, which to a certain extent makes China's life better, but the disadvantage is that it is beyond the reach of the whip.

At that time, many far-sighted people believed that China should join the Entente, and a very simple reason was that China's neighboring powers would be allies, and Russia and Japan had joined this side. As a great power capable of influencing China, the opinion of the United States is important, and the United States itself is a natural ally of Britain. In this case, China's options are limited.

The advantages of joining the Entente were certainly obvious, at least in the future, China, as the victorious power, could justifiably claim the Japanese occupation of Tsingtao, although it was lost from Germany because of Japan's declaration of war on Germany. Allies!

However, Japan also took a fancy to this and opposed China's declaration of war in disregard of the demands of Britain and the United States and other countries. At its insistence, Yuan Shikai was reluctant to do much, so the matter was deadlocked. Britain and France and other front-line countries have not yet been injured, and they do not expect China's entry into the war to turn the situation upside down---- if China has the strength to compete among the great powers, will it still have their concessions in China?

The reason why Gu Weijun asked such a professional question was not to expect Zhang Hanqing to solve it, but to try how good he was.

Zhang Hanqing just "studied deeply", and he said confidently: "This question is very simple, it is better for China to participate in the war than not to participate in the war, but it is a bit extravagant to think about how much the situation of the country can be improved after participating in the war." ”

Gu Weijun was surprised. Zhang Hanqing is really welcome, this is a national event, you treat it as a family! He said quietly, "Oh, I want to hear about it." ”

Zhang Hanqing really doesn't have to be polite---- isn't it obvious what will happen in the future! China declared war, but after the war, it was still deprived of the right to decide on the Shandong issue, which led to the May Fourth Movement. As long as his appearance on this plane does not cause the butterfly effect, the result is certain.

He finally has a stage to play, and this kind of empty talk is what he is best at, and it is also what the angry youth in the 21st century are best at. He said unceremoniously: "It's very simple, if China enters the war, if it wins---- of course it will definitely win---- China will have a moral advantage." Then, it is much more reasonable to talk to the great powers about the conditions for changing China's status. At the very least, when we buy weapons from the great powers, we don't have to look at other people's faces, after all, we are the victorious powers.

But let's not forget that the European war is just a dog-eat-dog war, and they started it not for moral reasons, but purely for competing interests. So this kind of moral victory will not bring much substantial benefit to China, because China's national situation has not changed dramatically.

Because the world is still in the jungle era, oh, the era of the jungle, China is so weak that it can be completely ignored in the international community, so even participating in the war, which is completely an internal matter, depends on the faces of outsiders. So, did this condition change after the war? It's hard to be optimistic! So how can you control your own fate? The reason why I have always emphasized that weak countries have no diplomacy is because since the Opium War, none of the treaties signed with foreign countries have been taken advantage of by China!

Are the Chinese stupid or the Chinese stupid? I don't think so! China still has young talents like Brother Shaochuan, who can also see through and even thwart some of the other side's conspiracies, such as the 21 Articles, which can be called a masterpiece of diplomacy. But what is the result? When Japan replaced the conspiracy with a conspiracy, we were helpless. Just because of the gap in national strength! Therefore, when the benefits are distributed after the war, I am pessimistic about whether China will be able to get back its part. But what Brother Shaochuan is doing, I fully support it! At the very least, we did what we could, and if the results weren't as good as we could have been, it would be important to wake up millions of people.

What I can do at this stage is to influence my father to set up industries to revitalize the economy, so as to influence or lead the whole region and make the country strong from the roots, which is the cornerstone of diplomacy. The United States is second to none in the world in terms of mining, electric power, machinery manufacturing, shipbuilding technology, and automobiles, and the northeast is rich in mineral deposits.

Again, a weak country has no diplomacy, and sovereignty cannot be obtained by gifts. Today, Bismarck's words are still valid: 'The great problems of our time cannot be solved by discussion and majority voting, but sometimes inevitably by a struggle, a struggle of iron and blood'. I am willing to encourage Brother Shaochuan to fight for the rise of the Chinese nation! ”

After he gave this impassioned speech, he realized that at some point a large number of people had gathered around him, and everyone listened quietly, becoming a silent majority.

"Flesh and blood bravery"! This was Gu Weijun's first reaction. But he was still infected, and the humiliation he had suffered during the 21 Article negotiations came to his heart.

Yes, isn't the successful negotiation that Japan is proud of because Japan has removed the clauses that have made the powers unhappy, but still achieved all-round penetration into China? Isn't it just trying to say to the other party: "You can't take it all, so you can leave me a little!" "Zhang Hanqing, a half-grown child, can see through the essence of diplomacy, and he is paranoid and obsessed with the power of negotiations, could it be that the pattern is too small?

Zhu Qichuan was also very touched. He is not only an official of the Republic of China, but also a conscientious Chinese, and it is his dream to make the country strong. In fact, as an aspiring and thoughtful Chinese, who does not have this idea?

This tragic atmosphere also affected the ladies in the seat, at least the ladies of the Zhu family looked at Zhang Hanqing with admiration. Beautiful women respect heroes, as has been the case since ancient times, and even with Zhu Guangmu, they also straightened their waists.